6. Selection, Evaluation, and Recognition

        a. Selection, Evaluation, and Recognition (SER)
            is responsible for the following:

            1. Postal Applications and Scheduling System
In January, SER announced the deployment of a national interactive voice response (IVR) system to automate entrance examination application methods. This replaced labor-intensive manual activities. The new system streamlines and standardizes the test application process at a substantial cost savings, protects sensitive application information, reduces cycle time between application and exam, and provides a national web-based scheduling component with an automated fulfillment process for mailing applicant scheduling packages. In 2000, SER’s field offices used approximately 60,000 work hours handling these cards for battery exam openings alone. The average cost to process applications previously was $3.26 per applicant. The average per call cost for the IVR usage in 2001 was 56 cents. This, combined with the 43 cents for the printing and mailing of the application package, brings the cost per applicant to 99 cents, for an average savings of $2.27 per applicant.

Less than one year after national implementation of the IVR, the system was enhanced to include the following: (1) a web application process accessible through the Postal Service's website at usps.com/employment, (2) the added capability for offices to announce casual/temporary employment opportunities, and (3) the inclusion of additional entry-level exams on the system. In 2001, more than 843,147 applicants applied for postal examinations or for casual/temporary employment through either the IVR or the web, saving more than $1.9 million over the manual process.

            2. Associate Supervisor Program Review and Revisions
Ongoing efforts to update and revise current programs included a complete review of ASP. Revised materials were disseminated nationally. In addition, the results of a comprehensive survey of all ASP participants and their managers were analyzed with plans to address the survey findings. To attract qualified first-line supervisors, SER developed a recruitment toolkit, which is specifically designed to assist Human Resources professionals in their recruitment and pre-employment efforts. Before its inception, many facilities were faced with high numbers of supervisory vacancies, decreased numbers of applicants for supervisory positions, and increased numbers of supervisors moving to other functional areas.

Based on the recommendations of a functional work team, which included representation from the National Association of Postal Supervisors, agreement was reached to make changes that involved the placement of EAS-15 associate supervisors into EAS-16 initial-level supervisor positions after a period not to exceed 18 months.

Another concern that surfaced was the need for consistency in the selection methods allowed when filling initial-level supervisor positions. As a result, an implementation plan has been developed to sunset the initial-level supervisor selection method. This plan will be implemented in early 2002.

            3. Attracting the Right Applicants for the Right Jobs
To educate the public about our entry-level positions and examination process, an orientation guide was developed that provides all the necessary information for making an informed decision about postal employment and required examinations. This guide explores certain aspects of the examination process, a first step for employment consideration. It highlights key aspects about the entrance examination (timing, scoring, etc.). It also provides details about the hiring process.

            4. Recruiting for Specialized Skills
In June 2001, SER initiated a national recruitment effort for specialized skills, especially for the postal maintenance and automotive mechanic careers, beginning with its participation in the annual SkillsUSA-VICA and Techspo Conference. More than 13,000 of the world’s most competitive technical students attended this conference, presenting the Postal Service with a unique opportunity to set a model for recruiting highly skilled workers for hard-to-fill positions. Conference participants learned about technical postal careers and benefits and applied for open examination announcements. They were also tested onsite and offered tours of the Kansas City Packaging and Distribution Center and Vehicle Maintenance Facility. Of those applicants tested onsite, 79 percent qualified, demonstrating a venue for future recruitment efforts.

            5. Giving Special Consideration to Temporary Employees for Career Positions
SER deployed new policies to further the consideration of postmaster relief/leave replacement (PMR/LR) employees for career positions through competitive examinations and direct application for vacancies. The Commission on a Safe and Secure Workplace reported that “a number of managers are frustrated that they cannot give special consideration to casual, temporary, substitute, and relief employees for career positions when the non-career employees have already been screened and trained and are known to be good workers.” The new policies for PMR/LR employees act on the recommendation of the commission to provide special consideration to temporary employees by allowing PMR/LRs to get examination ratings for placement on local hiring registers for career jobs other than postmaster and reducing the minimum service required to apply for postmaster jobs. In addition to examination opportunities, the new policies provide for a shorter period of time (from three years to one year) that PMR/LRs must serve before they can apply for permanent postmaster positions. The policies further expanded PMR/LRs’ ability to apply from only in the office in which they worked to career postmaster vacancies within the commuting area.

            6. Managing Transition
In January 2001, the Postal Service made a transition of the Priority Mail Processing Center (PMPC) network from contract to postal. SER was tasked to support this transition to develop and deploy an employment strategy that would allow 10 PMPC sites to effectively and efficiently transition up to 6,000 contract employees to postal employees while maintaining Priority Mail service during transition. SER provided innovative tools and processes to address the issues of recruitment, quick hiring and retention. The area teams hired more than 6,000 employees in a record time of 60 days from the date of the official announcement to the transition to a postal-run operation. All ten sites were able to maintain operations through the transition and to meet or exceed the staffing needs to support the PMPC operations.

            7. VOE Survey
SER has developed and implemented employee opinion surveys, called Voice of the Employee (VOE) surveys for the last 10 years. The surveys sample one-fourth of career employees each quarter. Each survey elicits opinions on a wide variety of work-related issues and provides a mechanism to monitor the organization. Results from the surveys are provided on the WebEIS, and local managers are given tools to guide use of the survey results. Starting in FY2000, an index formed from six of the survey questions has been used as the primary measurement of the VOE under the Postal Service Pay for Performance Program.

The national VOE survey results for FY2001 show an index number of 58.1, an improvement over the baseline FY2000 index of 57.5. The overall response rate for 2001 was 55 percent versus a 47 percent rate in FY 2000. The results reflect improved scores in the areas of employee recognition, supervisory treatment of employees, and ability to communicate with employees.

Survey data and employee suggestions will help the Postal Service to achieve continuous organizational improvement.